Barry Baker

Loves journalism, is not a journalist. Loves politics, is not a politician. Loves the media, is not a medium. Barry is committed to helping the world become a more interesting place with Power of Opinion.

January 08, 2009

S'no Removal Like Your Own Removal

Several stories have appeared in local media over the past few days regarding the condition of city transit stops. As reported by Kamloops This Week on Tuesday, one Kamloops Transit operator "... pulled his bus off the road for a short time to protest conditions." The story was accompanied by an image of a hooded transit sign at a bus stop made inaccessible by piles of snow pushed off the road by city snow blades.

While clearing the bust stops is a City responsibility, these stories make me wonder about the local residents who use transit. Surely it must be an inconvenience to have one's stop inactivated, even for a short period of time.

The street my family lives on is above the 850 meter mark, and so probably sees more snow than the average Kamloops street; we also have a city transit stop. The stop is kept clean however, by at least one concerned resident who removes the snow that accumulates there, whether it is deposited by Mother Nature or a passing snow blade. As a result, not even disabled transit users are precluded from affordable public transit, even during the worst winter storms.

I agree that the city should be on top of snow removal, and I frequently bitch about deficiencies in that removal (at least as much as the next guy). But when it comes to bus stops on residential streets, surely a little common sense should come into play; grab a shovel, and as Peter Gabriel says, DIY!

To share your thoughts about snow removal, transit, doing it yourself, or anything else with readers of Right Up
Your Alley: Kamloops, just click on "Comments" (below)

Comments

S'no Removal Like Your Own Removal

Several stories have appeared in local media over the past few days regarding the condition of city transit stops. As reported by Kamloops This Week on Tuesday, one Kamloops Transit operator "... pulled his bus off the road for a short time to protest conditions." The story was accompanied by an image of a hooded transit sign at a bus stop made inaccessible by piles of snow pushed off the road by city snow blades.

While clearing the bust stops is a City responsibility, these stories make me wonder about the local residents who use transit. Surely it must be an inconvenience to have one's stop inactivated, even for a short period of time.

The street my family lives on is above the 850 meter mark, and so probably sees more snow than the average Kamloops street; we also have a city transit stop. The stop is kept clean however, by at least one concerned resident who removes the snow that accumulates there, whether it is deposited by Mother Nature or a passing snow blade. As a result, not even disabled transit users are precluded from affordable public transit, even during the worst winter storms.

I agree that the city should be on top of snow removal, and I frequently bitch about deficiencies in that removal (at least as much as the next guy). But when it comes to bus stops on residential streets, surely a little common sense should come into play; grab a shovel, and as Peter Gabriel says, DIY!

To share your thoughts about snow removal, transit, doing it yourself, or anything else with readers of Right Up
Your Alley: Kamloops, just click on "Comments" (below)